Albanese government considering standby workforce to manage natural disasters

Dealing with Australia's continual fires and floods needs a dedicated, semi-professional workforce, emergency minister Murray Watt says

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With the flood emergency ongoing in eastern Australia, the federal emergency minister, Murray Watt, has confirmed he is considering building up a semi-professional workforce to manage natural disasters and lessen reliance on the defence forces during catastrophic floods and bushfires.

In an interview with the Guardian's Australian Politics podcast, Watt said he had met the defence minister, Richard Marles, and his departmental officials recently to consider various options, with the policy work to be rolled out over the coming year.

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